The First Imprint
by Omega-Em-Z-01
Summary: The first and most important memory velociraptors have is the very first face they see. It's the same one they will trust for the rest of their lives. One-shot


The First Imprint

Darkness was the first thing that she had become aware of. Darkness and the realization of the tiny place she was in. It didn't seem entirely like a bad thing. It was warm in the tiny space at the least. Warmth, as far as she could identify, was a good, no not good, essential thing. She shifted in the tiny space to try and find more of this warmth. She hadn't realized just how tiny her space was until she found that trying to move was near impossible. She tried again, but nothing changed. A sudden fear struck her and her eyes snapped open.

The darkness, one of three things she now knew, disappeared completely. A yellow light shone through the barriers of her space and hurt her eyes. Her eyes blinked and the darkness returned for less than a second. She blinked again and the same thing occurred. Perhaps this was how it worked, being in both darkness and light. If the darkness manifested from closing her eyes, where did the light come from? The barriers of her space were surely not the answer. If something could penetrate the dark, it couldn't possibly come from the confines of a tiny space. She felt a sudden urgency to get out.

The only way to get out had to be through the barrier somehow. She pressed her head against it to feel it. It didn't seem very strong; perhaps all she had to do was break through. The front of her face was long and pointed, so maybe she could break the barrier with her nose. Her head pushed up and there was a quiet pop. She flinched when something else seemed to fill her tiny space, and was slightly less warm than what she had known. Her nostrils flared and inhaled the new air in her space. It was stuffy, but clearly important if she was going to break through the barrier. She pulled her head back again and pushed her nose hard against the barrier. At first, there was nothing. She kept trying to break through, tapping the side with her snout, and then there was a cracking sound. She pulled back for a moment and looked. There were lines spreading out from the place she had been tapping, and they were brighter than the rest of the barrier. It was working.

She started tapping again, harder this time, and the lines slowly grew longer and brighter each time she did. Tap. Tap. Tap. _Tap._ The final tap pushed through the barrier and broke a small piece of it away. An even brighter light shined through the opening, nearly blinding her. But she did not shy away from it. She brought out her tiny claw and used it to push further through. More of the barrier fell away, and the bright light slowly began to form new colors and shapes. She pushed away more of the barrier and poked her nose through the opening. The new, cold air hit her so hard that it almost felt like she couldn't breathe. A tiny chirp escaped from her mouth and she recoiled a bit. She wanted to go back to where it was warm and safe, not somewhere where her eyes and nose hurt. Her nostrils flared and took in the new air. Perhaps it was only the first time that it hurt, because now it felt refreshing.

The image in front of her began to focus into more definite shapes. A weird, light colored thing was directly in front of her, looking down. She didn't quite feel threatened by it, not even remotely scared. Seeing it was oddly a comforting thing, though she didn't understand why. Perhaps this thing was supposed to take care of her outside of her barrier. She chirped again and her head tilted with curiosity.

"Wow, look at you." The sounds the thing made were strange, yet soothing. She kept breaking through the barrier, keeping her eyes on it while it watched her closely. A larger piece of the barrier broke off over her and fell on her head. She tried to shake it off, but it was stuck to her. The thing reached its claws, or whatever they were since they looked very different from her own claws, and brushed off the piece. "I'll help with some of the loose parts of the shell, but you've got to finish this yourself."

The thing's way of communicating made little sense to her. She chirped at it a couple of times, but it didn't respond. It didn't seem to understand her either. The friendly face in front of her stretched the sides of its mouth, showing its white teeth. She showed it her teeth, trying to mimic the appearance, but it didn't seem to work very well. She gave up and broke away more of the barrier. Much of it shattered and fell on the ground, allowing more of the cold air to brush over her. She shivered a little and looked back up at the thing. It watched her with fascination as she slowly stretched out her limbs and set her foot down for the first time outside the barrier. Her legs were still weak, and she immediately fell on her stomach before she could take a second step. The thing reached down its claws and gently picked her up. It held her carefully in its arms, close to its chest so that she could hear its large heartbeat.

"Well, look at you. I never figured raptors like you could start out so small." She didn't know why this thing was still trying to communicate with her. She didn't understand anything it was saying, but why disappoint it? She nuzzled her head against it, starting to feel more comfortable around it herself. It started to trace the side of her body with its claw. "Check that out. You've got your own blue strip. Be easier to tell you from the others."

One of its shorter claws brushed the side of her head, causing her to lean against it. It was comforting, and she began to feel tired. She looked back up at the thing. It stretched the sides of its mouth again, showing its teeth in a friendly way. Her eyes blinked and she chirped with curiosity.

"You know what?" the thing said. "I think that's what I'll call you. Blue. That sounds pretty good, don't you think?"

She felt like she had to respond somehow. Whatever it was saying sounded genuine, or was at least meant to be. She gave it a tiny screech and nibbled a little at its claw. It made a loud sound that made its stomach shake up and down. She bit down a little harder and it pull its claw away. She purred and nestled in its arms to be more comfortable. Her eyes closed and it started stroking her on the back. It kept trying to communicate to her as she started to fall asleep.

"Yeah, Blue, I like that. It fits pretty well. Can't wait to see you when you're bigger. We're gonna do some great things."


End file.
